Transportation in Venice

Click to see larger pictures Getting to Venice by train We arrived in Venice by train after a two hours trip from Florence. We were almost fooled into getting down at Mestre, because the signs read "Venezia" but we didn't because we saw everyone else in the train sitting quietly. Finally we arrived at Santa Lucia, the other Venice railway station which is the end point for trains coming from many European cities. A few trains will only take you as far as Mestre, where you will need to hop into a local train. Traveling by train in Italy is a great experience. Services are regular, trains are in time and the cost of travel is reasonable. We took the Eurostar, which is the fast intercity, but there are a variety of trains available. The Santa Lucia station is located at the west end of the Grand Canal and the No. 1 vaporetto stops right in front of the building. Inside the station there are automatic ticket machines which we found very easy to use and a variety of shops and services helpful for the traveler: an exchange office, a left luggage facility, a cafeteria and bar and shops that sells souvenirs as well as international newspapers and magazines.

Click to see larger pictures Il Vaporetto There's something striking about Venice, something you'll notice right away, and that is that there are no cars allowed in the city. That makes Venice great for walking as you don't have to pay attention to traffic. If you get tired of walking, you may try a waterbus. The vaporetti (or waterbuses) are the most convenient form of public transport in Venice. The main route through the city for the vaporetti is the Grand Canal but the vaporetti routes cover all the islands of Venice. The No. 1 vaporetto is probably the most popular of them all. It travels the entire length of the Grand Canal, starting at Piazzale Roma all the way to Lido, provinding great views of the beautiful palazzi. Tickets are available at most landing platforms, shops and tobaconnists displaying the ACTV sign (ACTV is the company running the network). The price of a ticket remains the same whether you are going one or two stops or from one end of the line to another. Tickets have to be punched at the automatic machines on the landing platforms before each journey. Some routes are more expensive than others and they also have a variety of passes (one day, three days and a weekly pass).

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